


Remembrance

by 10_pasesfire



Category: Newsies (1992), Newsies - All Media Types, Newsies!: the Musical - Fierstein/Menken
Genre: Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Emotional, Illnesses, M/M, Memory Loss, POV Second Person, Sad
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-03-11
Updated: 2017-03-11
Packaged: 2018-10-02 17:37:26
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,397
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/10223558
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/10_pasesfire/pseuds/10_pasesfire
Summary: "I like to document so I remember even when I  forget." In which Jack begins to forget and David tries to prolong the memories.(This probably doesn't make much sense but I hope you read :D)





	

**Author's Note:**

> Comments and Kudos always appreciated! Sorry it's kind of sad or it tried to be but I don't know. I kind of cried while writing it but yeah. Thanks for taking a look! :D

The first time you ever saw him was in Central Park. It was a particularly sunny day, the weather a perfect 75 degrees in Spring. You sat on a park bench, needing somewhere other than your apartment to read. The trains that periodically passed by your apartment, blaring their horns all the way, made it particularly hard to concentrate on a book, or anything for that matter.

The open air and calming sounds of birds and passersby made your mind feel free from the usual stuffy nature of the city. You were beginning to fall into a trance like state as your book captivated you when he spoke to you for the first time.

“Good book?” You look up in confusion only to be met with the flash of what you assumed was a camera. The man sat down next to you on the bench happily, showing you the picture with a smile as if you two were old friends scrolling through a yearbook. 

“Excuse me but, did you just take a picture of me?” You asked as your confusion turned into mild annoyance. Though you didn't really like the invasion, his giddy reaction to the picture was kind of, dare you say it, cute.

“Yeah,” a smirk graced his face. “Problem?”

“Uh yeah, I don't exactly know you-”

“But if you did, would you mind? Because I want to keep it so I can remember your face and draw you later. A face like that deserves to be immortalized.” He scooted closer to you, scrolling through to show you the other pictures of people in his camera roll. “I use pictures to capture the details in people’s faces in different emotions. I like to document so that I can remember even when I forget.”

You listen on, in awe of this man’s audacity but finding it hard to remain mad. There's just something about him that makes you want to automatically cuddle. He's definitely attractive, but there is something else that draws you and you can't really tell what it is.

“So?” The man asked, reiterating his first question. 

“Uh...well I guess-”

“So it's a date then?” You stared at him blankly, wondering how this could possibly be happening right now. 

“Was this all a lead in to you asking me out?”

“...If I say no will you say yes?”

“Well...I usually don't say yes to overly confident strangers but I guess I can make an excepti-”

“Great,” he exclaimed, cutting you off which seemed to be a habit of his as if he needed to hurry and get out what he was saying before it disappeared. “I'll give you my phone number. The names Kelly, Jack Kelly. You are?” The fact that you hadn't even introduced yourselves just served to further the spontaneity of the situation.

You couldn't believe you were doing this.

“David...Jacobs.” You wordlessly handed your phone to him and he took it with a smile. Thus began your rather sudden yet, oddly enjoyable, relationship with one Jack Kelly.

#

It was New Year's when you had your first kiss. It had been a very peculiar few months full of plenty of things you'd never done or thought of doing. Jack was the most excitable and determined person you'd ever met and his courage was contagious. Every second you spent with him made your existence on earth that much happier and slightly more dangerous.

He had a trend of getting himself into trouble, and you were always right there behind him willing to go into the cross fire with him. He was worth it. You'd never felt this way about anyone before.

About anyone's smile, or laugh, or quirky habits. In your eyes he could do no wrong and dating him so far had been nothing but great. You two fit together like you had known one another for years. Onlookers would think you were life long friends, and you loved that. 

In just this short amount of time you have learned one another backwards and forwards. He had shown you his room of pictures, covering every inch of the wall and parallel to a picture he'd sketched or painted himself of that very moment. 

“Pictures,” he had said to you. “Capture feeling like nothing else can. A picture is just quick enough to catch an emotion you may never convey again, and that's why I love photography so much. You see people at their roughest and toughest and you can always remember it.” He had a dreamy tone as he described his feelings. The look in his eyes was all you wanted to capture.

Now as you stand together in the cold December air of Central Park, waiting to watch the fireworks and such, all you wanted was to be close to him. The one man who you actually wanted to spend the rest of your life with and wouldn't ever oppose it.

His long arm was wrapped around your shoulder, pulling you close to him and passing your warmth between each other. It was comforting and made you feel safe as the cold wind whipped your faces and brought a pink tint to your cheeks and nose. He smiled down at you as you looked into his eyes. 

“You're so cute, you know that? You look like a little...porcelain doll or something, perfect. Your eyes are so pretty and your freckles on your cute little nose…” he trailed for a moment. “I...I'm so grateful you responded to my pathetic flirting attempt, you know that?”

“I'm grateful for your far from pathetic attempt.” You countered. “I love you for it.” Your voice retracts as you realize the intensity of what you said. You chance a look up at Jack whose smile is wider than you had ever seen it before. A glisten is present in his eyes as he looks in yours.

Before you realize it he is pulling you close. You stand on your tiptoes as he pulls you into a soft and gentle kiss just as the fireworks were shot off. His lips were smooth and he caressed your cheek as you ran your hands through his dark hair. You've never felt anything more passionate in your life. It was like he was trying to transfer all his feelings in one kiss.

Once you finally and reluctantly pulled away it had felt like forever and a day. Being with Jack made time irrelevant.

“I love you too.” He pulled your hand to his lips and kissed it as he looked up at the fireworks indicating the new year. You could practically see the cameras behind his eyes taking in every moment and storing it into his deepest memories.

For once you were the one to pull out your phone and snap a picture of you two in front of the fireworks.

You never wanted to forget this.

#

 

The first symptom showed up three summers later. As you woke quite early to find a restless Jack rummaging through all the drawers and cabinets in your shared bedroom. He shouldn't have been up this early on a weekend anyway.

“Jack,” you yawned with confusion at his actions. “What are you doing out of bed?”

“I don't know where it is Davey!” He was in a frantic state.

“Jack, what?”

“My camera! I can't find it! I need it, it's kind of partial to being a photographer.”

“...Jack you don't need it today. It's...4:30 AM on a Saturday. Why are you up?”

“What?” Jack paused, confusion was clear in his voice. He sat in the edge of the bed and looked at the date on the alarm clock. “But it's… yesterday was Sunday?” He wasn't sure anymore.

You sat up, moving over and putting a comforting hand on his shoulder.

“No honey, yesterday was Friday. And I'm sure you put your camera in a safe place.” He still didn't seem to understand, but decided to lay back down anyway. You figured it must have been a dream that had his dates all turned around.

In the morning, you groggily walked into the kitchen together. He stood at the window observing the view below with that look he always has, yet slightly different in a way you can't recognize. You open the fridge looking for orange juice but getting Jack's camera bag instead.

“Jack, I know you like jokes but I don't think leaving a camera in the fridge is a good idea.” You had rolled your eyes, but it wasn't that simple.

“What!?” He ran over, grasping the bag in his hands and quickly pulling the camera out, desperately trying to turn it on. “No! No, no, no.” he yelped as his efforts failed.

You looked at him in worry trying to comfort him in his despair.

This happened twice more until you had the first doctor visit.

“Early onset Alzheimer's.” He had said it plain and clear.

There was no mistake and you knew, but it didn't stop you from asking him to clarify. Didn't stop you from asking about a cure. Didn't stop you from hoping it was something else all together.

But it wasn't. And when you looked at Jack you could see the panic rising inside of him. Neither of you spoke on the drive home. He didn't eat or sleep. He stood in his photo room, staring and studying the faces on the wall.

As he held you close you could hear him reciting the names of all the people there. Everyone he knew, their birthdays, his birthday, your birthday, ages, important dates, he never stopped.

He downloaded the pictures from his sd card and made flashcards of all the people just trying.

Trying not to forget.

#

It was January the next year you were visiting Jack at the “special home” for the first time. You would have much rather he been at home with you, but the doctor told you he could be a danger to himself, leaving the stove on and microwaving things that shouldn't be.

This was basically a home for the elderly or it might as well have been as most people there were elderly. You were escorted to the courtyard where Jack sat, taking in the sights. You sat next to him on the bench. 

“How do you like it here? Do they treat you okay?” rapid fire questions escaped from your mouth as soon as he noticed you.

“Yeah, it's pretty nice. All the old ladies are always hitting on me.” he joked. You laughed. “I really want to be with you though.”

“I'd love that too. Hey, how about next time I come we go out to the park, yeah?” He smiled at you. His smile never changed and you loved this.

“Yeah,” he kissed you on your forehead. “I'd like that.” You two sat hand in hand for a few minutes, enjoying the presence of one another. “Could...could you help me with my flashcards?” Jack hated having to ask this. To have to use flashcards to remember basic things, but he needed it to help.

You went through these every time you visited, and every time he forgot one. Maybe two. Maybe three until you had to reteach him several cards a day. The most recent visit he didn't remember very many at all. You found him repeating things he'd just said. 

Your eyes teared up as he spoke confidently about things he'd told you seconds, minutes, years before. You sat through it with a sad smile, responding with an “I know, Jackie.” He wiped away your tears with concern asking numerous times why you were crying.

“I just love you. With all my heart.”

He smiled at you.

It was different.

#

The first time he forgot who you were was in Central Park. It was a particularly sunny day, the weather a perfect 75 degrees in Spring. You sat on a park bench, waiting for Jack to come from getting you two some food from a stand down the way.

You sat reading, getting away from the particularly loud train that liked to blair it's horns all the way past your apartment. 

“Good book?” came his voice. You smiled up at him as he sat. He takes a bite of the pretzel he'd bought for himself. 

“Hey, you know I'm hungry too!” you joked.

“Oh, do you want some of my food?”

“I'd love my own food, actually.”

“Oh well...I have an extra pretzel if you want.” Your smile faded.

“Jack, what do you mean?”

“I'm sorry, have we met?”

The tears immediately spring to your eyes as he says the words. You rummage through your bag, pulling out all the pictures. “You remember these? You took these. You wanted to...remember even when you forgot well now I need you to remember.” You became more and more panicked as you handed the pictures to him. His face depicted no signs of recognition.

You went through them one by one until you got to the ones with you and him in them together.

“Please,” He took the picture slowly from you. “Please remember for me, I need you.”

“...I’m....sorry. Do I know you from highschool or something?” Your tears came full force now, your head rested in your hands. He rubbed his hand on your back trying to comfort you. “I'm sorry, I didn't mean to hurt your feelings I just don't remember much from high school.”

“It's not that it's just… my boyfriend went away somewhere. I'm not sure when he'll be back but I-I really miss him.” you said through shaky breaths.

“Well I'm sorry I'm not your boyfriend...but I can be your friend.” You looked into his eyes, the eyes of someone else. His arms opened for a hug. You scooted close and wrapped your arms tight around him, your tears soaking his shirt. He didn't say anything about it. “It's okay, it'll all be okay. I'm sure he'll come back.”

It wasn't until next week that you saw Jack's eyes again. Everyday you visited you had introduced yourself, until one day he was confused why you'd done that knowing very well who you were. You sat in the park and never left his side that day.

Days like that became few and far between.

And even when he stopped remembering you, you never forgot him.

**Author's Note:**

> Comments and Kudos always appreciated! Sorry it's kind of sad or it tried to be but I don't know. I kind of cried while writing it but yeah. Thanks for taking a look! :D


End file.
